Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Raging Waters

*Critters we’ve seen on our 2014 trip so far:  pronghorn, horse, llama, elk, bison, grizzly, bighorn sheep, mule deer, Uinta ground squirrel, wolf, black bear, moose, coyote, fox, bullsnake, bat, white-tailed jackrabbit
*Birds we’ve seen on our 2014 trip so far: bald eagle, grouse, osprey, magpie, red-tailed hawk, Canada goose, great horned owl, American kestrel, sandhill crane
Kepler Cascades
 [Click on any photo to enlarge.]

Spring is also a time of snow melt causing raging waters everywhere throughout the park.  With an above average snowpack this winter of nearly 140% of average, waterfalls and rivers were full to overflowing.  Though we didn’t make it to see the splendor of the Lower Falls at the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone during this time, there was still plenty of water to be seen.  Whether it was the Gardner River, Undine Falls, Rustic Falls, Tower Creek, or any number of other places, the water was running
Lamar River
high and fast and in some places you could even hear it roaring.  Hopefully these pictures will give you a feel for what we saw and experienced though we realize photos can never do the real thing justice.

Tower Creek
 
 
Gardner River
 

 
 
 




Undine Falls




Gardner River











Top of Rustic Falls
Top of Rustic Falls









Glen Creek




Glen Creek

Gardner River
Gardner River









Lamar River
Tower Creek











 
 
Yellowstone Tidbits:

  • Annual precipitation ranges from 10” at the north boundary to 80” in the southwest corner.
  • Glaciers helped shape much of Yellowstone, and boulders that were transported by these glaciers can be seen throughout the park.
  • There are nearly 300 waterfalls in Yellowstone.

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